Daily Archives: March 7, 2011

Started out with the silly notion that I might be able to get Mike Piazza. My sensible grapher friends tried to convince me that I was wasting my time. But my friend and I wanted to be at the Honda Classic at 11:45, which gave us ample time to try for Piazza. There were about 25 graphers when Piazza finally made his way back to field 5. I was third in line when Piazza started going down the line. I double-dipped and could’ve triple-dipped but instead chose to get my picture taken with him. I had heard horror stories but this cat was cool. I even made small talk about his mustache. He really likes to hit balls, never once looking up or even questioning dippers. Give him something other than a ball, though, and you’re bound to get questioned. And yes, he was doing the SS. I would’ve gotten him on a few myself but his graph is so horrendous that I chose to go with the SIs.

Mike Piazza: 1/1 (SI) in blue Sharpie and as far as Piazza graphs go this one was very good, 1/1 (SI) in silver American Crafts marker. He insisted on personalizing the second, which was fine because the magazine didn’t hold the marker. These markers are great for photos but not for SIs.

When Carter joined the New York Mets for the 1985 baseball season, it was a opportuniy for him to showcase his amazing baseball talents, and head of hair, in front of an audience that was measurably larger than the one that he played for in Montreal.

And on the big stage, Carter did not disappoint. In that first season with the Mets, Gary Carter took over the role of starting catcher for a very talented pitching rotation. He hit .281 while crushing 17 doubles and 32 home runs en route to collecting 100 RBI. Carter was once again an All-Star for the National League squad, and he captured his fourth Silver Slugger award too.

1985 was a great season for Gary Carter, filled with successful individual stats. 1986, on the other hand, was a dream come true!!!

To say that the rookie home run record was broken in 1987 is an understatement. Shattered would be the more appropriate word. On August 14th in Anaheim Stadium, Mark McGwire deposited a pitch from 300-game winner Don Sutton into the left-field seats for his 39th home run of the season. That dinger broke a record established 57 years earlier by Wally Berger of the 1930 Boston Braves. Berger belted 38 homers that season, a feat that had been equalled by only one other rookie(Cincinnati’s Frank Robinson in 1956) in major league history. The American League record was held by current Giants’ GM Al Rosen, who crushed 37 round-trippers in 1950, his rookie year with the Cleveland Indians.

After the historic home run, Mark belted 10 more, raising the record to 49. Had McGwire hit one more, he would have become the first American League player to hit 50 home runs since Roger Maris(61) and Mickey Mantle(60) turned the trick in 1961.

Jeff Kent may go dow nas one of the most talented offensive second basemen in baseball history. And his 2000 MVP season was sensational. During that year, Kent hit .334 as he collected 196 hits. He crushed 33 homers, drove in 125 runs, and scored 114 times. He was a member of the All-star team that year and won the first of his four Silver Slugger trophies too.

Carter’s tremendous home run that won the championship for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993 still remains as one of the greatest plays I have ever witnessed in sports. The moment that baseball fans around the world dreamed of is what Carter delivered – a walk-off game winning hit!!! I cannot imagine the adrenaline rush that he felt as he rounded the bases while realizing this goal had been obtained.

I think it’s safe to say that Joe Carter jumped for joy for all of us on that night back in ’93. I know that I kind of felt like I was flying in the air alongside him as the world watched.